When the Moon comes Out
by lezonne
Summary: Hermione finds Draco in a very interesting form one night. What's caused this strange change of form though, and how might she use it to her advantage? Written for the HP Creatures fest on LJ and the Favorite Character Boot Camp. Implied romance. Possibility of being continued.


**A/N: **Thanks to my lovely beta **lozipozivanillabean!**

This story was originally written for **Hp_Creatures **on LJ.

Also written for the _Favorite Character Boot Camp _prompt #34 on Fanfiction.

* * *

It's not much of a secret that I enjoy nighttime. Although the day can be splendid, filled with classes and friends, something about the gentle hush of night is alluring. Perhaps it's because it's the only time of the day that I'm guaranteed to have time to myself, or maybe it's because the night is mysterious. Some might call it dangerous or scary, but I think the dark sky and tinted shadows are quite interesting. The night is full of mysteries and thrill.

My favorite part is the full moon. There's nothing quite like it. A giant orb of light towering over everything else in the bleak night is quite interesting, even beautiful some might say. I don't go that far, for I'm not the poetic type, but the bright full circle in the sky once a month is tolerable. It would lose its appeal if there were a huge, circular moon every single night.

Unfortunately, my view of this grand picture is being skewered. There's a few hours still before the moon will rise, but that doesn't excuse the fact that Malfoy's been cursing up a storm all day. I can hear him through the walls, through our adjoining bathroom, letting out a string of curses. Whatever he is doing he definitely isn't happy about, but I don't care. He could try to be a bit quieter.

I bang on my wall for perhaps the fifth time in an hour, tired of dealing with him. "Shut up Malfoy! I'm trying to study!" My cozy reading chair isn't doing much for me tonight as I deal with his ridiculous behavior. His door to the bathroom must be open, because I can hear him screaming back at me.

"Fuck off Granger! Some of us have real-world problems!"

Real world problems for Malfoy are a bad hair day. There's nothing dire going on with him. If anything, he's throwing a little bitch-fit because Parkinson turned him down this evening. I, regrettably, got to hear the conversation when I tried to come into the dorm earlier, only to find the pair battling it out in our common room. It was humorous, but loud and unpleasant.

I'm happy to say that I did get past them unharmed.

Now, if only Malfoy would be quiet my night could become the peaceful bliss I want it to be. I told my friends I was turning in early tonight so that I could have some time to myself. But Malfoy is going to ruin my entire plan if he doesn't shut up.

It's almost an hour later before he bothers me again, daring to rap on my door this time, instead of screaming through the walls. I get up, already knowing who it is and put on my best sassy-attitude.

"Can I help you?"

He's glaring down at me with those haunting, silver eyes of his. For some reason tonight, his hair looks whiter than usual. "It's Saturday night. Aren't you going out?"

I frown, wondering when the hell we started worrying about one another's social lives. "Um, no, I thought I would just stay in tonight- not that it matters to you."

"You're not going up to Gryffindor tower or something for a while?"

"No, I didn't realise I had to clear my plans with you," I snap, crossing my arms now. "Look, if this has to do with you corralling Parkinson into your bed, then you may as well just put up a silencing spell- or I will, Merlin forbid. I'm not going to leave this bloody dorm just because my plans don't mesh well with yours."

Malfoy's eyes flash. "Trust me, they aren't plans."

I arch an eyebrow, wondering what that means. But I don't ask, deciding it will only prolong our conversation. "Whatever then, go and handle whatever it is. So long as you don't bother me I won't bother you."

He turns away without a word, and I'm surprised how quickly he relents. I don't say a word as he wanders off, disappearing back into his room. I can't put my finger on it, but something about Malfoy is off tonight.

Oh, I know what it is. He's walking around as though he's afraid. He probably just drank too much.

I don't think he'd show fear in front of others without first dying. He's too fucking proud for that.

* * *

I take a shower later that night before going to sit on my balcony, watching the stars. The Head's tower is quite lavish in the sense that we get such things, but I'm just barely sitting outside the windowpane. My fear of heights prohibits me from going a step further.

It doesn't matter anyway, I'm out within the first twenty minutes, the gentle outdoor atmosphere lulling me to sleep. I neglect to go and shut my bathroom door, having left the door cracked to allow the room to air out.

When I wake up, it all starts with a scream. And it's mine. I almost throw a small, white creature off my balcony. It's lucky that there aren't any holes in the design else it would be dead from that tumble.

I fall back in the chair, gasping as I hit the floor. I scramble away from the chair, standing up as I try to recover my senses. Everything is disoriented, and the moon has traveled across the sky. It has to be well past four o'clock in the morning.

The air outside is bitter from the cold. I rub my arms, staring curiously down at the creature in front of me. I blink several times in the dark before calling my wand to me, illuminating the space. I stare down at the creature, noticing that its fur is white. My panic suddenly turns into amusement, and I'm pressing my lips together now, trying to deny what I'm seeing.

No fucking way.

"Malfoy?" I say hesitantly, glancing behind me. Before me sits a white ferret, fur gleaming in the surviving moonlight. I don't know if what I'm seeing is really there or not, but I feel like Malfoy is going to jump out at any moment, laughing.

He doesn't appear. I look back at the creature again, cautiously crouching down where the balcony begins. Extending my hand I will the ferret to walk towards me. I won't go out on that extended platform.

It doesn't move, just stares at me as though I'm completely insane. Maybe I am, but I kind of feel bad about throwing the poor thing into the stone wall. It could've been killed on impact.

"This isn't funny," I mutter, continuing to hold my arm out. "Malfoy, if this is a joke, come out!"

The blonde still didn't appear, but finally the ferret moves. It gets to my arm before hesitating, as though it's unsure whether or not to trust me. Oh, now it really could be Malfoy.

I snatch up the lithe white body before it can back away, cradling the ferret to me. Turning on the light in my room I take a closer look at it, still surprised at having found it at all.

It really does look like Malfoy. The silver eyes are even there. This is too creepy.

"Malfoy?" I call out again, peering towards my half-open bathroom door. If this ferret really is my… dorm mate… then it must've gotten in here through the cracked door. When I don't get a response I take matters into my own hands and shove through the doors, past the empty bathroom and into Malfoy's room.

It's empty.

The little ferret in my arms peers up at me, as though to say that I should've known. Shaking my head I try to make sense of things, but it's no use. Is Malfoy an animagus?

Dropping the creature down on the bed, I place my hands on my hips. "Okay ferret boy, no more tricks. You didn't end up like that because someone snuck in and cursed you, so go on then, change back! This is your animagus, isn't it? And you're not stuck there!"

The ferret shook its head, trying to argue in this state where it couldn't talk. I roll my eyes, wondering why I do this to myself. If I just dropped him on the bed and left I wouldn't be forced to stay around, but now I will have to. I'm way too curious.

Malfoy hopped off the bed- something that is quite irritating since I don't think he can get back on- and scurries across the room towards his lone bookshelf, something I haven't seen before. I've only come in here once, and it was during an argument. I didn't spend time studying my surroundings either. Wandering over now I notice that some of the volumes here seem quite ancient, and I'm too proud to admit that I'm a bit jealous. The old stories are some of the best! Ferret-boy pauses in front of the shelf, inclining his head up as though I should understand that.

"I must be exhausted if I'm chasing a ferret around," I mutter, shaking my head. Perhaps it has to do with that fact that it's edging towards Halloween, and strange things start happening at Hogwarts around this time. My eyes scan the shelf, seeing nothing of clear importance. Some of the books are in different languages, which I do not yet read, but I know that Malfoy speaks several, since he's constantly boasting about it. It's no surprise that he has a collection of foreign books in his room.

Looking down, I shrug. "What?"

It sits on his hind legs briefly, holding its paws up as though it wants to be lifted. Deciding that I've already taken a trip on the crazy train I pick the ferret up and carry it across each shelf, letting it get a closer look. Malfoy stops at one book and nearly falls off my arm. I catch him before picking it up to do a bit of looking.

"_The Creatures around Us_?" I ask, glancing at the ferret. Malfoy nudges the book with his nose, once more convincing me that this really is my roommate and not a stray animal. I wander to the bed and set Malfoy down, remaining standing as I flip to the table of contents.

"Bats… werewolves… sirens… veelas… vampires… creatures of the night… shape shifting-"

Malfoy scratches me at that and I hiss, glaring his way. "Do you mind?"

The ferret doesn't respond, and instead nudges me to continue reading. I flip to the shape shifting section of the book, scanning the contents. It's a short chapter consisting of less than ten pages. I don't read anything particularly interesting until page seven, when one of my eyebrows shoots up.

"Shape-shifting tainted blood hmm? I've never heard that one before." The ferret nuzzles me, apparently trying to tell me that this is correct. Either that, or Malfoy is getting too cozy with me. "Is that what happened to you?"

The ferret nods once and I frown, contemplating that. I finish reading the chapter before setting the book aside to glance at the time.

"It's late," I say, standing up. "Stay in here- Merlin knows if you'll be clothed or not in the morning. Don't think that I won't remember this Malfoy, because I certainly won't forget." I grab his wand on my way to the door as though to prove my point. "We'll talk about this is the morning."

I leave without any sort of argument, since the ferret can't speak and I walk a lot faster than it does. I put up a gate in front of my bathroom door to ensure that I can hear Malfoy in the morning but that the pesky ferret won't return. Oh, there will be so many things to discuss in the morning.

* * *

The first thing I see in the morning is a half-naked Malfoy. Upon awaking I stumble towards my bathroom, deciding that I need to splash my face with water before I can start trying to figure out what happened last night. I nearly scream when I see him standing there inside the door to his bedroom, watching me wander into the bathroom.

Then I start chuckling. "So nice to see you in human form," I sputter, watching his brow furrow. "I was worried that you might never change back."

"Shut up Granger," he snaps, rolling his eyes. He looks so rested for someone who spent the night as an animal, and was nearly thrown off the balcony in my room at one point. "You know that it's not funny."

"You could always have changed back," I say, crossing my arms. "You didn't have to stay as a ferret all night long you know. Animagus is not a form one simply becomes stuck in. And if you were, I think you'd still be stuck there."

"It's not an Animagus," he says, pulling something from behind his back. It's the book I read last night, the one the blasted Ferret had me get. "Did you forget about this already?"

"Malfoy I'm starting to think that it was all a bad dream," I reply, rubbing my eyes. "I mean, what the hell do you even remember about last night? Maybe I just had a laced drink."

He chuckles at that. "I recall almost being thrown from your room to plummet to my death. Thanks for that."

"If you didn't weasel your way into my room that wouldn't have happened!"

"I was a ferret Granger, and I'd kindly appreciate it if you didn't associate me with your friend Weasley. Besides, I was stuck and bored and looking for something to do. I was going to tickle your nose with my tail and get you to sneeze, but you woke up too bloody fast."

"You must be kidding," she muttered, shaking her head. "You're completely insane. Not only did you think that would end well, but you wanted to get close to me!? Maybe you were the one who was intoxicated last night."

"I was completely sober last night Granger, just like you." He's stalking towards me now, hand sliding along the counter between us. I don't move yet, deciding to wait and see what he plans to do. He stops in front of me, one eyebrow cocked high. "It's just humorous to me that you keep expecting alcohol to explain what happened, when we both know it can't."

"I don't know what happened last night, but I don't intend to have it happen again," I remark, placing both hands on the counter. "Now if you would kindly get away from me."

My breath hitches as soon as I say that. Malfoy swings his body around so his hands are on either side of me, our faces almost touching. He's bending over me, enveloping my body with his own. He smells lightly of sweat and deodorant, and I realise he probably hasn't showered yet this morning. But now he's way too close for comfort, grinning at me with that cocky fucking smirk of his.

"I need you to keep my secret, Granger," he says, breathing on my face. "I tried to explain a bit last night, but I wouldn't share my secrets with you if you're going to go blabbing to the whole school. No, this is something quite dear to me, and you just so happen to be the one who figured out what's going on."

I gulp, ignoring the intensity of his grey eyes. It would be quite easy to knee him and get away, but something holds me here. Try as I may, I can't help being curious about what happened last night.

"Then what is your secret?" I ask, my breath attacking his face this time. He chuckles at that, ducking his head briefly.

"I thought you were the brightest witch of our age Granger. You really haven't figured it out yet?"

I purse my lips, thinking things over. What the hell am I supposed to conclude from all of this?

_He had no way of getting out of his animagus form…_

_He couldn't talk…_

_Usually at night he brings a lover upstairs to use and then discard, but last night he brought no one as though he knew this would happen…_

_It was a full moon last night, the first since school began… _

I look up. "You change with the moon?"

"Oh, Granger, you're close, so terribly close. But you're missing a key detail."

"What key detail am I missing? You change with the moon into a ferret because that's your animagus, right?"

He frowns. "My animagus is a snake; you've seen it before in class. So why do you think I change into a blasted ferret come the full moon?"

_Shape-shifting blood. That's what you made me stare at in that book last night…_

"Shape shifting blood," I mutter, gazing up at him. "You have shape-shifting blood!"

"Not exactly. I didn't _used_ to have shape-shifting blood. I was exposed to it one night whilst wandering around the grounds of my home. And now yes, I do change every full moon."

My eyes widen. "And you thought sharing that secret with me was a good idea? My, you are intoxicated, aren't you Malfoy?"

He chuckles, cupping my cheek, and alarm bells go off in my head. "Oh no Granger, not one bit. For you see, who else is going to help me figure out how to stop this process other than the super-nerd of the school?"

I'm about to protest that I wouldn't help him even if he paid me, but I'm cut short as he bends forward and plants his lips on my own. I freeze, unsure of what to do at first, until I start melting into the feeling, despite my best efforts. He's quite good at this.

When he pulls back he rests his forehead against my own, looking through blonde bangs to see into my eyes. "I can offer a sort of trade for your help."

Pulling away he turns and leaves the bathroom, leaving me standing there with my hands clutching the counter for balance. He did not just kiss me!

He so just kissed me.

Malfoy must be in an awful big rut to come to me for help. And more so, he must really want this to stop if he's bold enough to kiss me as a mere example of the trade he has in mind. But I wouldn't do it, not even if he is considered a sex god.

It's not happening.

He can suffer as a ferret for eternity for all I care.

It's what he deserves for being such a prick to me for so long, right?

But even as I tell myself this, I'm already formulating a plan in my mind. So Malfoy has problems with turning into a ferret once a month, hmm? My, that must be a blow to his ego considering what happened in fourth year. I'm grinning in the mirror by the time I finish washing my face, thinking about how I can use this to my advantage.

I'll help Malfoy I suppose, even if I do think this entire situation is pretty comical. I'll even help him stop changing permanently, but my price is high. He doesn't need to bed me, because that isn't what I want. I have a much better idea in mind.

I'll just have to let my friends see this first-hand, to see Malfoy stuck as a ferret. It would be a divine humiliation, one that might help ease the sting of so many years of bullying. Yes, that's a much better idea than what he offered.

I'm starting to think he offered up sex just to avoid this idea. But oh well, Malfoy can survive being a ferret in front of us one more time before I help him out.

I've been in need of a good laugh recently.

* * *

**A/n:** That would be it my darlings! I might continue this, but I'm pretty sure it'll just stay as a one-shot. Thoughts? Please let me know and I hope you enjoyed :)


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